Saturday 11 July 2015

Weekly Report

Date: 4-11 July
Air Temp: 4-11 C
Water Temp: 9-11 C
Water height: -10 to -18cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 160
Biggest fish:    30lbs        Rod: Ian Eckersley
No 30+: 1
No 20-29: 22
No 8-19: 75
Grilse: 63



WEATHER:   Everything from bright sunshine and nearly cloudless skies to rain and hail. The only constant was the NW wind. 



COMMENTS:   It is generally accepted that numbers are down on all Kola rivers this year, but with a week of 160 to 16 rods the fishing is still pretty steady. There has been the odd quiet session for some rods here and there, but then balanced out by a few bumper outings - such is the nature of fishing. Offered a week of fishing where you catch 10 fish per rod, with at least one twenty and 60% of fish are salmon over 8lbs - I’d take that any time! The wind blew upstream pretty well all week, and at times was quite ferocious, but this did not deter the stalwart team of guests for most of whom this was not their first rodeo. If the water could have been covered more effectively on some days, perhaps the weeks total may have been greater? What certainly was a feature of the week was the daily story of huge fish lost. Early season is traditionally the best time to catch a really big fish, but the numbers of encounters over this last fortnight suggest there is a very real chance throughout the seven week season.
Lodge life was a lively affair with several comics and the Irish love of story telling and the craic. Great company both on an off the water.

Lower Norcamp

Date: 10 July
Air Temp: 9 C
Water Temp: 10 C
Water height: -18cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 23
Biggest fish:    23lbs        Rod: Ross Varian
No 30+: 0
No 20-29: 4
No 8-19: 7
Grilse: 12


WEATHER:   Overcast, brightening through the day. Gentle NW breeze.


COMMENTS:   Every beat produced fish, but seemingly thin pickings with about one fish to each rod. However, Lower Norcamp was a different story with Eric W and Rod H-J landing five between them (best 18lbs) and lost two fish; one in the twenties and the other described and bigger than the combined weight of everything they landed!! After a classic big fish take “I thought it was stuck on a rock, then it moved” the unseen fish steadily made its way up into the pool and kept on going for 150 yards apparently totally unperturbed by Eric leaning into him. Having explored the majority of the pool the fish headed back to the tail and the rapids below where he came unstuck. Un-sighted we shall never know what it was, but Eric will remember this fish for some time yet! Elsewhere on the river Ross V landed his biggest of the week at 23lbs near Boris’s Rock and brothers Martin and Jerome M tucked into an on form Crow’s Nest landing five with a couple of twenties to note.

Bomber Action

Date: 9 July
Air Temp: 8 C
Water Temp: 9 C
Water height: -16cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 20
Biggest fish:    21lbs        Rod: Mike Bowsher
No 30+: 0
No 20-29: 1
No 8-19: 11
Grilse: 8
WEATHER:   Very thin, patchy cloud cover and a bright start to the day. Clouding over after 4pm.
 

COMMENTS:   Seemingly no rhyme nor reason to salmon behaviour - Bright sunshine today and some beats fished well under these conditions while some waited for the afternoons cloud cover before showing fish. Rob W and Stephen L had 6 fish from Crow’s Nest between 4pm and 6pm, Mike B landed his PB of 21lbs at Seven Islands (well done Mike!), Pat M produced 3 from Lower Norcamp and Ian E continues to pick up fish where others have no joy including one landed and one lost on a bomber! It’s amazing how fish will move with meaning to the surface even in relatively low temperatures.

Friday 10 July 2015

Crows Nest


Date: 8 july

Air Temp: 10-11 C
Water Temp: 9 C
Water height: -13cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 27
Biggest fish:    30lbs        Rod: Ian Eckersley
No 30+: 1
No 20-29: 3
No 8-19: 13
Grilse: 11

Weather: Gentle downstream breeze, warm and overcast


Manager’s Comments: Almost perfect salmon fishing weather today – it felt like a lovely July day!  With the river dropping the fishers left the lodge in great spirits and expecting good action. Sean M landed a nice 14lb hen first cast from the first of the 7 Islands and brought to an end a tough couple of days for him with another fish that tore off downstream causing his reel to “bird’s nest” – thankfully the fish stopped and a 10lb hen was landed! Elsewhere on the river Ian E landed 3 fish of 14, 15 and 24lbs from Crows Nest (what a lovely beat in July!) Stephen L and Rob W landed 6 between them and lost several others. It was clear that in the higher water and rough weather fish had moved about quite a bit and some previously productive beats proved hard going whilst others served up nice surprises for hard working fishers.  Not feeling the day was quite done, Ian E headed down to Pump after dinner and hooked into a huge cartwheeling fish that was eventually landed at Heron Point - many of you will know just how far downstream that is – that weighed in at just over 30lbs – the first real Yokanga monster of the week…….although the previous 4 days have yielded 17 fish between 20-29lbs – not exactly minnows! What a fantastic end to the day!

Small Double

Date: 7 July

Air Temp: 6C
Water Temp: 9C
Water height: -10cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 36
Biggest fish:      28lbs x 2     Rod: Rob Hall-Jones and Stephen Lodge
No 30+: -
No 20-29: 3
No 8-19: 17
Grilse: 16

Weather: Cold and heavy breeze (again from the north), though during the day  the wind dropped a little and the temp rose a degree or two. Light cloud cover in the evening.


Manager’s Comments: Fractionally improved weather improved the fishing markedly, although as ever some beats were more productive than others. Geoff B landed 7 for the day to 20lbs and Stephen L and Rob H-J both had cracking fish nudging close to that magic 30lb mark. Edwin O lost a very large fish on a floating and small double fly and we all felt that the big fish are still very much in the game – which keeps everyone on their toes! Encouraging numbers of fresh summer 2SW salmon in the mid teens are pulsing through the beats and taking well when covered and the grilse run joining them is building also. Fingers crossed for the weather to continue to improve.

Personal Best

Date: 6 July

Air Temp: 4C
Water Temp: 10C
Water height: -13cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 24
Biggest fish:     27lbs      Rod: Pat Mullane
No 30+: -
No 20-29: 6
No 8-19: 14
Grilse: 4

Weather: Bitterly cold upstream wind all day with hailstones (!!!) at times.



Manager’s Comments: Seriously tough weather for July! Those fishing above 7 Islands found their boat blown upstream of the anchor on several occasions! If fishers could find a sheltered corner then fishing was good and there were plenty of fish to target.  Rob W has three fish of 17, 24 and another PB of 26lbs from Lower Norcamp, and Stephen L had a brace of fish of 10 and 20lbs from the same beat. 2 big fish were lost by Pat  and Jerome and most fish that were landed were targeted using sink 3 tips and Willie Gunn or Cascade type patterns. If it wasn’t for the weather we feel like the tally would already be very impressive for the first days of this week!

Powerful Resolve


Date: Evening 4 and 5 July
 
Air Temp: 6C
Water Temp: 11C
Water height: -15cm
Number of rods: 16
Number fish caught: 30
Biggest fish:   25lbs x 2            Rod: Martin and Pat Mullane
No 30+: -
No 20-29: 5
No 8-19: 13
Grilse: 12

Weather: Warm downstream breeze on evening of 4th then strong and very cold upstream wind from the north east all day Sunday


Manager’s Comments: An enthusiastic group of largely Yokanga regulars hit the river on the first evening, from Boulder Alley down to Lyliok, and were well rewarded with 8 fish including a lovely 21lb fish for Martin M above Pump. Sunday proved testing with a very cold, very strong wind chilling everyone to the core, however fish were picked up and everyone had a bend in their rod at points during the day. Rob W braved the cold evening to pick up a PB of 24lbs from Lyliok and lost another couple of good fish – “fortune favours the brave!”